The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 294 An Unusual Banquet

The Hogwarts Express always gets things done.

The old steam train once again safely delivered all the little wizards to their destination.

……

As the Thestrals stopped, Ino jumped off the carriage.

Follow the path to the castle gate.

Unlike before, many young wizards had gathered outside the castle, and many of them were loudly cursing something. After cursing, they covered their heads with their hands and bravely rushed towards the castle.

"Gore, go see what's going on."

Before Ino could even speak, Draco had already instructed Goyle to find out what was going on.

As for going forward to check? Draco didn't even consider it. A proper Slytherin wouldn't blindly put himself in danger.

Seeing this, Ino was also very pleased.

Compared to Harry, who lacked training, Draco has grown significantly more than in the original story.

At the same time, just as Gao Ergang was about to go forward to check, a colorful balloon filled with water fell from the sky.

With a "bang," the water balloon exploded at the castle gate, splashing water everywhere and soaking all the little wizards gathered at the gate.

"Damn Mischief!"

Another wave of curses erupted from the crowd, but the curses had no effect whatsoever; instead, they attracted even more water balloons, accompanied by comical laughter.

Ino looked up and saw a short, comical figure wearing a bell-topped hat, fifteen feet above the castle's main gate, holding several water-filled balloons in his arms.

"Hahahaha! You little brats, since you're too scared to come in, Mischievous Ghost will come out to greet you. Here you go!"

Pipi Ghost laughed wildly, and at the same time, he grabbed a blue water ball with his right hand and threw it towards the crowd. The moment the water ball landed, it stirred up another small-scale commotion.

Seeing that the other party showed no sign of stopping, Ino didn't intend to stand idly by either, after all, it wasn't good for Pipi Ghost to block people here.

With that thought in mind, he stepped forward alone, and the young wizards on both sides naturally made way for him.

Such an obvious action was also noticed by Pipi Ghost. It first took out a water balloon as if to throw it, but after seeing who it was, its big, comical eyes rolled around.

"Tch! Boring."

With a complaint, Pipi Ghost surprisingly turned and left, contrary to his usual behavior.

This surprised not only those around them, but also Ino.

Thanks to his diligent study of the history of magic, he was well aware of Peeves' characteristics. This poltergeist, born with the castle, feared no one except for the Bloody Barrow.

Even some professors sometimes can't stop Mischief from playing pranks.

Although somewhat surprised, he didn't intend to dwell on it, knowing that there were plenty of strange and wonderful things in the magical world.

……

Outside the castle.

After Peeves left, the young wizards who had been blocked entered the Great Hall in an orderly manner.

Perhaps the professors already knew about this year's event, because Ino noticed that the auditorium seemed to have been renovated, with not only brighter candles but also a ring of beautiful magic lamps around the auditorium.

The Slytherin table.

After finding a nearby spot, Ino sat down with peace of mind.

However, as soon as he sat down, a low, gloomy, and slightly hoarse voice came from behind him.

"Peeves is afraid of you!" Bloodman Barrow, although a resident ghost of Slytherin, is much more low-key than other ghosts and rarely shows himself.

Most of the time, he was just one person carrying the shackles of repentance, walking alone in the dark underground corridors of the castle.

"I find it strange too, but it's not entirely unusual for a poltergeist to be afraid of a wizard, is it, Mr. Barrow?"

Ino turned her head and saw Barrow, who was emaciated and wearing a long robe stained with silver blood.

"Is this normal?" Barrow shook his head inexplicably, then disappeared into the wall.

After a brief delay, Ino discovered that the Sorting Ceremony had already begun.

Professor McGonagall led a group of newly enrolled young wizards into the Great Hall without uttering a word, under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Seeing the freshmen all silent and reserved, the senior students all smiled with lingering satisfaction.

History seems to repeat itself every year.

……

The branching ceremony proceeded as usual.

The off-key singing of the Sorting Hat rang out again, but by now, Ino wasn't so curious about the hat anymore.

The Sorting Hat, capable of independent thought and critical thinking, is not unique to the wizarding world. Whether it's Rick, the boy beside Nico, or those tiny three-inch-long dolls, they are all capable of independent thought.

But what truly intrigued him was how the Sorting Hat had endured for a millennium.

Does that mean every school principal personally extends a principal's life? That's absurd.

While they were pondering, Professor McGonagall had already read out everyone on the list.

It's amazing that this year's Slytherin has broken the 40-person mark for the first time ever.

It's worth noting that in the year Harry enrolled, Hogwarts experienced a surge in new students, with only 29 new students being assigned to the entire Slytherin school.

Looking at the adorable younger students, Ino gently clapped her hands.

……

As Professor McGonagall put away her Sorting Hat and high stool.

Dumbledore, seated at the head of the table, slowly rose to his feet, looking at all the young wizards with a beaming smile.

"I'm so happy, so very happy! We're all together again, but I only have one sentence to say right now."

Dumbledore spread his arms wide, his deep voice echoing through the Great Hall. He raised his wand, tapped it lightly in mid-air, and then said loudly:

"Eat!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the long table, which had been empty just moments before, was instantly piled high with all sorts of food.

"Finally, we can eat!" an untimely voice rang out.

Ino glanced at him slightly, but after realizing it was Crabbe, he got used to it.

In Slytherin, the only truly gluttonous one was the simple-minded Goyle, while Crabbe... always pretended to be stupid in front of others, intentionally or unintentionally.

He couldn't be bothered to comment on other people's choices.

After cutting off a piece of juicy steak, Ino didn't put it in her mouth immediately, but instead examined it carefully.

Through the gaps in the dinner forks, one could clearly see silvery-white ghosts floating in the auditorium.

This reminded him of his experience today, and he felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Peeves became obedient, and even the usually unapproachable Blood Man Baro spoke up...

Although these are all harmless little things, they reveal something behind them—Hogwarts.

Then, recalling Harry's recounting of Trelawney's prophecy in the train compartment.

For a fleeting moment, Ino really wanted to ask Dumbledore right now what he had been doing for the past two weeks of summer vacation.

However, seeing the old principal sitting at the head table with a smile on his face, skillfully cutting the food on his plate, he gradually suppressed his impulse.

It was obvious that Dumbledore was in excellent condition.

Seeing this, Ino's attention gradually shifted to the things in front of her. She picked up a piece of cut steak and slowly put it into her mouth.

Although he wasn't in a hurry at the moment, he still planned to go to the principal's office after the banquet.

It's the beginning of the month, please vote! Please vote! Please vote!

And that's all! The fourth year has begun, and Xiao Di is working hard to make the story exciting. Thank you all for your support!

Today, Xiaodi is sharing: Bloody Baron

Identity: Resident Ghost of Slytherin

Characteristics: As a ghost, Barrow appears extremely pale, pearly white, and slightly translucent. Barrow has a pair of wide-open eyes...

His large, glaring black eyes and gaunt appearance were striking. His robes were stained with silver blood, and he wore shackles as a form of atonement for killing Helena Ravenclaw. His voice was hoarse.

Personality: During his lifetime, Barrow was described by Helena as a "bad-tempered" person.

As a ghost, he frightens most people, and people don't want him to exist, as do other ghosts.

(End of this chapter)